The Class of 2023 has gained new members ever since students in the Class of 2024 have decided to skip junior year and graduate this coming June. 

“I’m so excited to finally graduate from high school,” senior Bree Cullins said. “I feel this was the best choice I could have made and now I get an early start on the rest of my life.”

If a sophomore is interested in skipping their junior year, they must contact their counselor to sign a form. They must also gain parent approval and attend summer classes to gain certain credits at Lonestar or through the Klein Forest summer program. After all these steps are completed, the student can be classified as a senior. 

“I took three summer classes this year,” senior Gabby Garza said. “I also took high school credit classes in middle school, including math, both of my foreign language credits and electives.”

Garza and Cullins are choosing to graduate early because it opens up more opportunities for their futures and gives them more freedom . 

“I want to graduate early because high school puts a lot of regulations on what you can and can’t do, so I am ready to enter an environment that allows me to freely explore my specific interests,” Cullins said. “I also don’t necessarily have much keeping me at Klein Oak since the majority of my friends are graduating and I am completing all my required courses.”